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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. row — a line
  6. stand — to bear
  7. row — to paddle
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rule — a law
  10. rock — music
  11. rule — government
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mine — for digging
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. band — a music group
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. band — a ring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com